Count the Omer 2015: Day 26

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Day 26: Hod within Netzach, Glory within Eternity
Remember Boy Meets World? I loved that show! There is one scene in particular in season 4 between Eric and his father, Alan, that has stuck with me and stands out now.

Eric: "You said to me that there would come a time when you weren't going to be around anymore and, and that's not so."
Alan: "Eric -"
Eric: "No, no, no. No, Dad, I remember everything that you taught me and I'm going to turn around and I'm gonna teach that to my children. So you see, Dad, you're always gonna be around."

Count the Omer 2015: Day 25

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Day 25: Netzach within Netzach, Endurance within Endurance

We have hit the half-way point today, everyone! There are just 25 days left until Shavuot and I am reminded today of Nachshon. According to midrash, Nachshon was the hero of the Sea of Reeds. When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt and reached the Sea of Reeds, they feared that they were trapped. Moses prayed to God for help while the Israelites refused to move forward into the water. Nachshon (who by some accounts was afraid to swim) strode forward into the water and only when the water had reached his head without him turning back did God split the sea.

Netzach within netzach and the story of Nachshon remind us that endurance can breed endurance and that if we have faith in our own power and in God, we can reach new shores. At the halfway point of the Omer today, it is good to look at how far we have come while charging headlong toward our goal.

Count the Omer 2015: Day 24

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Day 24: Tiferet within Netzach, Spirituality within Endurance

I have written about my conversion many times here. It is, after all, the reason I began blogging in the first place. One post in particular aligns perfectly with today's Omer reflection:

"I participated regularly in Jewish services, holidays, and study for over a year before it finally all clicked for me.  Looking back on it, it makes sense that I would only feel a connection to God through Judaism after becoming comfortable with it in all the other aspects I was exploring, but at the time it seemed like I suddenly felt closer to God out of nowhere."

You can read the entire post here, but my point today is that sometimes spirituality requires endurance. For years, I wanted to feel closer to God, to fully believe in something. I had connected on a logical level with Judaism long before I connected on a spiritual level and if I could have simply willed spirituality on myself, I would have. Instead, I stuck it out the long way, enjoying the parts of Judaism I had come to love and doing my best to wait patiently for the rest to come together.